Haifa
55606
225681487
2008-07-14T21:43:07Z
LamaLoLeshLa
7069544
/* British Mandate transition period and the 1948 War */
{{Infobox Israel muni
|name=Haifa
|image=Haifa_coa.svg
|imgsize=50
|caption=Emblem of Haifa
|image3=Haifa Israel by David Shankbone.jpg
|imgsize3=250
|caption3=View from Carmel across the Shrine of the Báb, city of Haifa and Haifa Bay
|arname=حَيْفَا
|hebname={{Hebrew|חֵיפָה}}
|meaning=
|type=city
|typefrom=
|stdHeb=
|altOffSp=
|altUnoSp=
|district=haifa
|population=266,300 (city)<br/>1,039,000 (metropolitan area)
|popyear=
|area_dunam=63666
|
|mayor=[[Yona Yahav]]
|website=[http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/en-US/ www.haifa.muni.il/cultures/en-US]
}}
[[Image:Location haifa.png|thumb|right|200px|Haifa, its district and metropolitan area's location within Israel]]
{{otheruses}}
'''Haifa''' ({{lang-he-n|חֵיפָה}} {{Audio|Haifa.ogg|''{{Unicode|Ḥ}}efa''}}; {{lang-ar|حَيْفَا}} {{Audio|ArHaifa.ogg|''Ḥayfā''}}<ref>Many Hebrew speakers, however, refer to the city by its Arab pronunciation.</ref>) is the largest city in Northern [[Israel]], and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of about 266,300.<ref name="pop">{{cite web | url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/About+Israel/Cities/Haifa+9.htm | title=Haifa | accessdate=2007-05-05 | publisher=[[Jewish Agency]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf | title=Population of Localities numbering above 1,000 residents and other rural population on 31/12/2007 | format=pdf | accessdate=2008-04-05 | publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] | date=2007-12-31}}</ref> Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs. It is also home to the [[Bahá'í World Centre]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/452 | accessdate = 2008-07-08 | date = 2008-07-08 | title = Three new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List | author = UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.category.php/2 | title=History of Haifa | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>
Haifa, built on the slopes of [[Mount Carmel, Israel|Mount Carmel]], has a history dating back to Biblical times. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was Tell Abu Hawam, a small port city established in the [[Late Bronze Age]] (14th century BCE).<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref> In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a dye-making center. Over the centuries, the city has changed hands: It has been conquered and ruled by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]]s, [[Arab]]s, [[Crusades|Crusaders]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]s, [[Muhammad Ali Dynasty|Egyptians]], and the [[United Kingdom|British]]. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the city has been governed by the Haifa Municipality. Haifa's Old City remains, today in a state of neglect, are some of the most ancient in the region.
Today, the city is a major [[Port of Haifa|seaport]] located on Israel's [[Israeli Coastal Plain|Mediterranean]] coastline in the [[Haifa Bay|Bay of Haifa]] covering {{convert|63.7|km2|sqmi|lk=on}}. It is located about {{convert|90|km|mi|0}} north of [[Tel Aviv]] and is the major regional center of northern Israel. Two respected academic institutions, the [[University of Haifa]] and the [[Technion]], are located in Haifa, and the city plays an important role in Israel's [[Economy of Israel|economy]]. It has several high-tech parks, among them the oldest and largest in the country,<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.gav-yam.co.il/GavYam/site/gavyam/eng/items/popup.asp?fid=285&NP=361 | title=GavYam | accessdate=2008-02-18 | publisher=Gav-Yam.co.il}}</ref> an industrial port and an oil refinery.
==Etymology==
The origin of the name "Haifa" is unclear. According to historian Alex Carmel, it may come from the Hebrew verb root חפה (''hafa''), meaning 'to cover or hide', i.e. Mount Carmel covers Haifa.<ref name="pardes">{{cite book | first=Alex | last=Carmel | year=2002 | title=The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule | edition=4th Edition | publisher=Pardes | location=Haifa | id=ISBN 965-7171-05-9 | pages=14}} (translated from Hebrew)</ref> Another possible origin of the name is the [[Arabic]] word حفَّ ("haffa") which means "beach", or the word حيفة meaning the "suburb" or "side of the city".<ref>{{cite book
| last = Ben Omar Al-Shirazi
| first = Fairuz Abadi
| title = Al-Qamoos Al-Moheet
| publisher = Dar Al-Ma'arifa
| url = http://lexicons.ajeeb.com/intro/introduc.asp?lex_id=5
| date = 2007
| isbn = 995385002X }}</ref>
In turn some see resemblance to the Hebrew word חוֹף (''hof''), also meaning ''beach'', or חוֹף יָפֶה (''hof yafe''), meaning ''beautiful beach''.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Q0suiJ7Gj1QC&pg=PA560&dq=origin+name+haifa&as_brr=3&sig=A6_PIhBn_Q0M6jDzv7y1oXlO8cw | title=Israel Handbook: With the Palestinian Authority Areas | first=Dave | last=Winter | publisher=Footprint Travel Guides | pages=560}}</ref> Some [[Christian]]s believe that the town was named after the high priest [[Caiaphas]], or [[Saint Peter]] (''Keiphah'' [in [[Aramaic]]]).<ref name="pardes" />
==History==
===Early history===
A small port city, Tell Abu Hawam, existed in the Haifa region in the [[Late Bronze Age]] (14th century BCE).<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref> The geographer [[Scylax]] describes a city "between the bay and the Promontory of Zeus" (i.e., the Carmel) which may be a reference to Haifa in the Persian period.<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref> The city moved to a new site south of what is now [[Bat Galim]], in Hellenistic times, after the old port became blocked with sand.<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref> The city is first mentioned in [[Talmudic]] literature around the 3rd century CE, as a small fishing village and the home of Rabbi Avdimos and other Jewish scholars.<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.geocities.com/soho/lofts/2938/histcult.html#geo | title=The History and Culture of the Canaanites and Phoenicians | accessdate=2008-04-09}}</ref><ref name="JVL">{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html | title=Haifa | publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] | accessdate=2008-01-20}}</ref> A Greek population living along the coast at this time was engaged in commerce.<ref> ''Haifa,'' The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Jerusalem, 1970, p.382</ref> Haifa was located near the town of [[Shikmona]], a center for making the traditional [[Tzitzit#Tekhelet|Tekhelet]] dye used in making the garments of the high priests in the Temple. The archaeological site of Shikmona lies southwest of Bat Galim.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/hecht/abstract/15e/Abstracts.pdf | format=PDF|title=Two Tombstones from Zoar in the Hecht Museum Collection | publisher=[[Haifa University]] | accessdate=2008-01-25}}</ref> Mount Carmel and the [[Kishon River]] are also mentioned in the Bible.<ref name="kings">{{Bibleverse|1|Kings|19:9|HE}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kishon.html | title=Kishon | publisher=HighBeam Encyclopedia (Colombia Encyclopedia) | accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref> A grotto on the top of Mount Carmel is known as the "Cave of Elijah", traditionally linked to the Prophet [[Elijah]] and his apprentice, Elisha.<ref name="kings" /> In Arabic, the highest peak of the Carmel range is called ''El-Muhrrakah'', meaning ''the burning'', named for Elijah's confrontation with the priests of [[Baal]], probably [[Melqart]].<ref>''Peake's commentary on the Bible''</ref>
Early Haifa is believed to have been located in an area that extends from the present-day Rambam Hospital to the Jewish Cemetery on Yafo Street.<ref name="Old">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c2/41 | title=Old Haifa | accessdate=2008-01-20 | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref> The inhabitants engaged in fishing and agriculture.<ref name="Old" />
===Byzantine, Arab and Crusader rule===
Under [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] rule, Haifa continued to flourish, although never assumed major importance.<ref>{{cite book| title=Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land | first=Avraham | last=Negev |M coauthors=Gibson, Shimon | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&pg=PA213&dq=haifa+byzantine+7+century&lr=&as_brr=3&sig=v2HcCxxZ1jYmjqSr0huJsRKFJV4#PPA213,M1 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group | pages=213}}</ref> In the 7th century, the city was conquered by the [[Arabs]]. [[Rashidun Caliphate|Arab Islamic rule]] of Haifa brought about developments in the city and in the 9th century it established sea trade relations with [[Egypt]] and contained several shipyards. With its Arabs in control of government and civil administration and its Jews engaged in trade and shipping Haifa was prospering by the 11th century. Glass production and dye-making from marine snails were the city's most lucrative industries.<ref name="THF">[http://www.haifafoundation.com/city.html#historical The City of Haifa: Historical Perspective] The Haifa Foundation.</ref>
Prosperity ended in 1100, when it was besieged and blockaded by the [[First Crusade|Crusaders]] and then conquered after a fierce battle with its [[Jew]]ish and [[Muslim]] inhabitants.<ref name="THF"/><ref name="pardes"/> Under the Crusaders, Haifa was reduced to a small fishing and agricultural village,<ref name="THF"/> and a part of the [[Principality of Galilee]]. In 1265, it was captured by the [[Mamluk]]s.<ref name="byz">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/40/c2 | title=Haifa in the Middle Ages | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il | accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>
The [[Carmelites]] established a church on Mount Carmel in the 12th century.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.carmelite.org.uk/History.html | title=ORIGINS OF THE CARMELITES | publisher=Carmelite.org.uk | accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref> Under Arab rule, the building was turned into a mosque. Later it became a hospital. In the 19th century it was restored as a Carmelite monastery, over a cave associated with [[Elijah]] the prophet.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/A36285.html | title=Stella Maris Lighthouse, Church and Carmelite Monastery | accessdate=2008-04-11 | publisher=Frommers}}</ref>
===Mamluk, Ottoman and Egyptian rule===
The city's Crusader fortress was destroyed in 1187 by [[Saladin]].<ref> Encyclopedia Judaica, ''Haifa,'' Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134-1139</ref> In 1265, the army of [[Baibars]] the [[Mamluk]] captured Haifa, destroying its fortifications, which had been rebuilt by [[King Louis]] of France, as well as the majority of the city's homes in order to prevent the return of European Crusdaders from re-invading.<ref name="byz" /> As such, for much of their rule, the city was desolate for much of the Mamluk period of governance between the 13th and 16th centuries.<ref name="otto" /> Information from this period is very scarce.<ref name="otto" />
[[Image:HaifaColony.jpg|thumb|The German Colony]]
In 1761 [[Dhaher al-Omar]], a [[Bedouin]] ruler of [[Akko|Acre]] and [[Galilee]], destroyed and rebuilt Haifa in a new location, fortifying it with a wall.<ref name="otto">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/39/c2 | title=The eras of the Mamelukes and the Ottomans | accessdate=2008-02-15 | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref> This event is marked as the beginning of the town's modern era. After al-Omar's death in 1775, the town remained under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule until 1918, except for two brief periods: in 1799, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] conquered Haifa as part of his unsuccessful campaign to conquer [[Palestine]] and [[Syria]], but withdrew in the same year; and between 1831 and 1840, the [[Egypt]]ian viceroy [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]] governed, after his son [[Ibrahim Pasha]] wrested control from the Ottomans.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/37/c2 | title=Haifa during the British Mandate Period | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il | accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref><ref name="modern">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/38/c2 |title=Modern Haifa |accessdate=2008-02-15 | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref>
In the years following the Egyptian occupation, Haifa grew in population and importance while Acre suffered a decline. The arrival of the German [[Templers (religious believers)|Templers]] in 1868, who settled in what is now known as the [[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony of Haifa]], was a turning point in Haifa's development.<ref name="modern" /> The Templers built and operated a steam-based power station, opened factories and inaugurated carriage service to Acre, [[Nazareth]] and [[Tiberias]], playing a key role in modernizing the city.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://schumacher.haifa.ac.il/templers.htm | title=Templers | accessdate=2008-01-27 | publisher=[[University of Haifa]]}}</ref>
===British Mandate transition period and the [[1948 Palestine War|1948 War]]===
[[Image:Haifa 1915.JPG|thumb|Haifa in 1915]]
At the beginning of the 20th century, Haifa emerged as an industrial port city and growing population center. The [[Hejaz railway]] and the Technion were built at this time.<ref name="modern" /> [[Haifa District]] was home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants, of which 82% were Muslim Arab, 14% Christian Arab, and 4% Jewish. The number of Jews steadily increased due to [[Aliyah|immigration]], especially from Europe. By 1945 the population had shifted to 33% Muslim, 20% Christian and 47% [[Jewish]].<ref>Supplement to a Survey of Palestine (p. 12–13) which was prepared by the British Mandate for the United Nations in 1946–47.</ref> In 1947 some 41,000 Muslims, 29,910 Christians and 74,230 Jews were living in Haifa.<ref>{{Cite book | url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Maps/Story574.html | title=Supplement to a Survey of Palestine | accessdate=2008-04-11}} </ref> The Christian community was composed mostly of [[Greek Orthodox Church]] ([[Arab Orthodox]]).
Haifa became central to the [[Bahá'í Faith]] in 1909, when the remains of the [[Báb]] were moved to [[Acre, Israel|Acre]] and a shrine was built on Mount Carmel by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Haifa remains an important site of worship, [[Bahá'í pilgrimage|pilgrimage]] and administration for the members of the religion. The [[Bahá'í World Centre]] (comprising the [[Shrine of the Báb]], [[Terraces (Bahá'í)|terraced gardens]] and [[The Arc (Bahá'í)|administrative buildings]]) are all on [[Mount Carmel|Mount Carmel's]] northern slope. Haifa is important to the Bahá'ís because the founder of the religion, [[Bahá'u'lláh]], was imprisoned there by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]s.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.bahai.org/dir/bwc | title=Baha'i World Center | accessdate=2008-03-20 | publisher=Baha'i International Community}}</ref> The Bahá'í shrine and gardens have become one of Haifa's most visited tourist attractions, and were, in 2008, designated a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://terraces.bahai.org/terraces.en.html | title=Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref><ref name="UNESCO" />
The [[1947 UN Partition Plan]] designated Haifa part of the proposed Jewish state. When the Arab leadership rejected the plan, Haifa did not escape the violence that spread throughout the country. On [[December 30]], [[1947]], members of the [[Irgun]], the pre-state Jewish underground, threw bombs into a crowd of Arabs outside the gates of the Consolidated Refineries in Haifa, killing 6 and injuring 42. In response, the Arab employees killed 39 Jewish employees in what has become known as the [[Haifa Oil Refinery massacre]].<ref name="independence">{{cite web | title=Timeline: Israel War of Independence | url=http://www.zionism-israel.com/his/Israel_war_independence_1948_timeline.htm | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref> Jewish forces retaliated with a raid on the Arab village of [[Balad al-Shaykh raid|Balad al-Shaykh]] the following day. Control of Haifa was deemed a critical objective in the ensuing [[1948 Palestine War]], as it was the major industrial and [[oil refinery]] port in [[Palestine]].<ref name="independence"/> The British withdrew from Haifa on [[April 21]], [[1948]]. The city [[Capture of Haifa in 1948|was captured]] on [[April 23]], [[1948]] by the [[Carmeli Brigade]] of the [[Haganah]] commanded by [[Moshe Carmel]] after three months of unsuccessful attacks by Arab forces.<ref name="independence" />
The conflict led to a massive displacement of Haifa's Arab population. According to ''The Economist'', reporting on October 2, 1948, of the 62,000 Arabs who formerly lived in Haifa, not more than 5,000 or 6,000 remained.<ref>http://www.mideastweb.org/refugees1.htm</ref> Benny Morris and other scholars have shown that Haifa Arabs left due to a combination of Zionist threats and encouragement by Arab leaders, but mostly due to the shelling of Arab villages and neighborhoods.<ref>Pappé Ilan (1992) "The Making of the Arab Israeli Conflict 1947-1951"; I B Tauris, p.72 ISBN 1-85043-819-6 </ref><ref>Morris, Benny (2001). Revisiting the Palestinian exodus of 1948. In The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948 (pp. 37-59). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-79476-5</ref> Foreign media coverage at the time emphasized the role of the Arab leadership as a motivating factor in the refugees' flight. The ''Economist'' explained its view: "There is but little doubt that the most potent of the factors were the announcements made over the air by the Higher Arab Executive, urging the Arabs to quit...It was clearly intimated that those Arabs who remained in Haifa and accepted Jewish protection would be regarded as renegades."<ref>http://www.mideastweb.org/refugees1.htm</ref>
”<ref>Mitchell Bard: "The Palestinian Refugees;" Jewish Virtual Library (reproducing Benny Morris' citation of ''The Economist'')</ref> On May 3, 1948, [[Times Magazine]] interpreted the events thus: "The mass evacuation, prompted partly by fear, partly by orders of Arab leaders, left the Arab quarter of Haifa a ghost city...By withdrawing Arab workers their leaders hoped to paralyze Haifa." <ref>http://www.mideastweb.org/refugees1.htm</ref>
===Establishment of the State of Israel===
[[Image:Haifatower.jpg|thumb|The [[Sail Tower]], an example of modern architecture in Haifa, built on remnants of the Old City]]
Following the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]], the city played an important role as the gateway for Jewish immigration. Thousands of immigrants were resettled in houses abandoned by the Arab inhabitants during the war, and housing projects were hastily built to accommodate the newcomers in neighborhoods such as [[Kiryat Hayim]], [[Ramot Remez]], [[Ramat Shaul]], [[Kiryat Sprinzak]], and [[Kiryat Eliezer]]. [[Bnei Zion Hospital]] and the Central Synagogue date from this period. In 1953, a master plan was created for transportation and the future architectural layout.<ref name="modern">{{Citeweb | title=History since Independence | accessdate=2008-04-09 | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/36/c2 | publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref>
In 1959, a group of [[Mizrahi Jews]], mostly Moroccans, rioted in [[Wadi Salib]]. The rebels, members of a social activist group known as the Black Panthers, many of them living in [[Land and property laws in Israel|“absentee” properties]] formerly belonging to Haifa Arabs, claimed the state was discriminating against them. Their demand for “bread and work” was directed at the state institutions and what they perceived was an [[Ashkenazi]] elite in the [[Labor (Israel)|Labor Party]] and the [[Histadrut]].<ref name=Johal>{{cite web|title=Sifting Through the Ruins: Historic Wadi Salib Under Pressure.|author=Am Johal|publisher=Media Monitors Network|date=18 August 2004|url=http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/sifting_through_the_ruins_historic_wadi_salib_under_pressure}}</ref> During the disturbances, Israeli police shot and killed several rioters.
[[Image:Haifa apartment building after attack July 17 2006.jpg|left|thumb|A Haifa apartment building hit by a rocket in Second Lebanon War]]
By the early 1970s, Haifa's population reached 200,000. Mass immigration to Israel from the former Soviet Union boosted the population by 35,000.<ref name="modern" />
Many of Wadi Salib's historic Ottoman buildings have been demolished throughout the course of Israeli rule, and in the 1990s a major section of the Old City was destroyed to make way for the municipal center.<ref name="modern" /><ref name=Johal>{{cite web|title=Sifting Through the Ruins: Historic Wadi Salib Under Pressure.|author=Am Johal|publisher=Media Monitors Network|date=18 August 2004|url=http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/sifting_through_the_ruins_historic_wadi_salib_under_pressure}}</ref>
In 2006, Haifa was hit by 93 [[Hezbollah rocket force|Hezbollah rockets]] during the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict|conflict with Lebanon]] killing eleven civilians in the city, and leading to half of the city's population fleeing after the first week of the war.<ref>{{citenews | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5318424.stm | title=In focus: Haifa | accessdate=2008-04-09 | publisher=BBC News}}</ref> The oil refinery complex was also struck by a rocket.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/840990.html Katyusha rocket hit Haifa oil refineries complex during Second Lebanon War - Haaretz - Israel News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Demographics==
Today, Haifa has a population of 266,300. Ninety percent of the population are defined as Israeli Jews.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Immigrants from the former [[Soviet Union]] constitute 25% of Haifa's population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf |title=The Arab Population of Israel 2003 |accessdate=2008-01-03 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] }}</ref> According to the [[Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics]], [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]] constitute 9% of Haifa's population, the majority living in [[Wadi Nisnas]], Abbas and [[Khalisa]] neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf |title=The Arab Population of Israel 2003 |accessdate=2008-01-03 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] }}</ref>
The city is commonly referred to as a model for co-existence between Arabs and Jews in Israel. Comparatively speaking, this is the case, and the demographics of the city facilitate a rich cultural mix; however, tensions and hostility exist here as elsewhere in Israel. Haifa has birthed a number of [[Ittijah|Palestinian organizations]] working to highlight the atmosphere of demographic competition in relation to other issues such as the discrimination in the allocation of resources to Arab citizens of Israel, the displacement of Haifa Arabs from homes now occupied by Jewish residents, and the continued destruction of Arab cultural property in the Haifa region.<ref>Ittijah network [http://www.ittijah.org/?intLanguage=3&chrSystem=members&intPMenu=293&intMenu=293 listing of NGOs], many of them Haifa-based (in Arabic)</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3px; text-size:80%; text-align:right"
|align=center colspan=2| '''City of Haifa<br>Population by year<ref name="demographics">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Dmgrp/Y2006/Download/DemographyDL.pdf | title=Demography | publisher=Haifa Municipality | accessdate=2008-03-22}}</ref><ref>Data based on Be-Arieh “Population of the Towns”, as reproduced in Ben-Arieh Jerusalem page 466</ref>'''
|-
|1800 || 1,000
|-
|1840 || 2,000
|-
|1880 || 6,000
|-
|1914 || 20,000
|-
|1922 || 24,600
|-
|1947 || 145,140
|-
|1961 || 183,021
|-
|1972 || 219,559
|-
|1983 || 225,775
|-
|1995 || 255,914
|-
|2005 || 267,800
|}
Haifa is Israel's third-largest city, consisting of 103,000 households.<ref name="pop" /> Haifa has an aging population compared to [[Tel Aviv]] and [[Jerusalem]] as young people have moved to the center of the country for schooling and jobs, and young families have migrated to bedroom communities in the Haifa vicinity.<ref name="demo">{{citeweb | url=http://urbaneconomics.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-haifa-aging.html | publisher=urbaneconomics.blogspot.com | title=Is Haifa Ageing? | accessdate=2008-02-10 | date=2006-12-06 | note=Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel, no. 56, 2005}}</ref>
===Religious communities===
The population of Haifa is 82% [[Jewish]], 4% [[Muslim]], and 14% [[Christian]] (both [[Arab]] and non-Arab).<ref name="demo">{{citeweb | url=http://urbaneconomics.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-haifa-aging.html | publisher=urbaneconomics.blogspot.com | title=Is Haifa Ageing? | accessdate=2008-02-10 | date=2006-12-06 | note=Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel, no. 56, 2005}}</ref> The relatively large Christian population of Haifa is derived from a combination of Arab Christians and immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
In general, as the Jewish residents age and as youth leave the city, the number of Christians and Muslims is growing.<ref name="demo">{{citeweb | url=http://urbaneconomics.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-haifa-aging.html | publisher=urbaneconomics.blogspot.com | title=Is Haifa Ageing? | accessdate=2008-02-10 | date=2006-12-06 | note=Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel, no. 56, 2005}}</ref> In 2006, 27% of the Arab population was age 0-14 compared to 17% in the Jewish and other population groups. This trend continues with 27% of Arabs aged 15-29, and 23% 30-44. The population of Jewish and other groups in these age groups are 22% and 18% respectively. 19% of the city's Jewish and other population is between 45 and 59 compared to 14% in the Arab population. This trend continues with 14% of Jews and others aged 60-74 and 10% over age 75, in comparison to 7% and just 2% respectively in the Arab population.<ref name="demographics" />
By national standards, Haifa's Jewish population is relatively secular. In 2006, 2.9% of the Jews in the city were [[ultra-Orthodox]], compared to 7.5% on a national scale.<ref name="demographics" /> 66.6% were secular, compared to a national average of 43.7%.<ref name="demographics" /> A small portion of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union lack official religious-ethnic classification of any kind as they are a product of mixed-marriage families of Jewish origin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf |title=The Arab Population of Israel 2003 |accessdate=2008-01-03 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] }}</ref>
==Geography==
[[Image:Nasahaifa.jpg|An aerial view of Haifa Bay and the city|thumb]]
Haifa is situated on the [[Israeli Coastal Plain|Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain]], the [[Via Maris|historic land bridge]] between Europe, Africa, and Asia.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=1504 | title=Haifa, Israel | publisher=Timeanddate.com | accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref> Located on [[Mount Carmel]] around [[Haifa Bay]], the city is split over three tiers.<ref name="tiers">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Euk/Destinations/Haifa/general+info.htm | title=Haifa - General info | accessdate=2008-03-20 | publisher=Israeli Ministry of Tourism}}</ref> The lowest is the center of commerce and industry including the [[Port of Haifa]].<ref name="tiers" /> The middle level is on the slopes of Mount Carmel and consists of older residential neighborhoods, while the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods looking over the lower tiers.<ref name="tiers" /> From here views can be had across the [[Western Galilee]] region of Israel towards [[Rosh HaNikra (kibbutz)|Rosh HaNikra]] and the [[Blue line|Lebanese border]].<ref name="tiers" /> Haifa is about {{convert|90|km|mi|1|sp=us}} north of the city of [[Tel Aviv]], and has a large number of beaches on the [[Mediterranean]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.goisrael.com/NR/rdonlyres/FAEF9852-0C3C-43CD-B751-BE0C4A977000/5304/RoadDistanceChart1.pdf | title=Road Distances Chart | publisher=Israel Ministry of Tourism | accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref>
===Climate===
Haifa has a [[mediterranean climate]] with hot, humid summers and cool, rainy winters ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa'').<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://encarta.msn.com/text_761575008___2/israel.html | title=Israel | accessdate=2008-03-20 | publisher=Encarta}}</ref> [[Spring (season)|Spring]] arrives in March when temperatures begin to increase. By late May, the temperature has warmed up considerably to herald warm summer days. The average temperature in summer is {{convert|26|°C|°F|0|sp=us}} and in winter, {{convert|12|°C|°F|0|sp=us}}. Snow is rare in Haifa, but temperatures around {{convert|6|°C|°F|0|sp=us}} can sometimes occur, usually in the early morning. Humidity tends to be high all year round, and rain usually occurs between October and April. Annual precipitation is approximately {{convert|524|mm|in|0|sp=us}}.
<center><!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather
|metric_first=yes <!--Entering Yes will swap unit order to metric first. Leave blank for Imperial-->
|single_line=yes <!--Entering Yes will compact the infobox vertically by placing some units on same line.-->
|location = Haifa Bay
|Jan_Hi_°F = 64.4 |Jan_Hi_°C =18.0 |Jan_REC_Hi_°F = |Jan_REC_Lo_°F= <!--REC temps are optional; use sparely-->
|Feb_Hi_°F = 64.2 |Feb_Hi_°C =17.9 |Feb_REC_Hi_°F = |Feb_REC_Lo_°F =
|Mar_Hi_°F = 67.0 |Mar_Hi_°C =21.1 |Mar_REC_Hi_°F = |Mar_REC_Lo_°F =
|Apr_Hi_°F = 77.5 |Apr_Hi_°C =25.3 |Apr_REC_Hi_°F = |Apr_REC_Lo_°F =
|May_Hi_°F = 77.7 |May_Hi_°C =25.4 |May_REC_Hi_°F = |May_REC_Lo_°F =
|Jun_Hi_°F = 83.3 |Jun_Hi_°C =28.5 |Jun_REC_Hi_°F = |Jun_REC_Lo_°F =
|Jul_Hi_°F = 88.7 |Jul_Hi_°C =31.5 |Jul_REC_Hi_°F = |Jul_REC_Lo_°F =
|Aug_Hi_°F = 88.0 |Aug_Hi_°C =31.1 |Aug_REC_Hi_°F = |Aug_REC_Lo_°F =
|Sep_Hi_°F = 86.5 |Sep_Hi_°C =30.3 |Sep_REC_Hi_°F = |Sep_REC_Lo_°F =
|Oct_Hi_°F = 80.4 |Oct_Hi_°C =26.9 |Oct_REC_Hi_°F = |Oct_REC_Lo_°F =
|Nov_Hi_°F = 74.3 |Nov_Hi_°C =23.5 |Nov_REC_Hi_°F = |Nov_REC_Lo_°F =
|Dec_Hi_°F = 69.4 |Dec_Hi_°C =20.8 |Dec_REC_Hi_°F = |Dec_REC_Lo_°F =
|Year_Hi_°C =
|Year_Hi_°F =
|Jan_Lo_°F = 51.3 |Jan_Lo_°C =10.7 |Jan_REC_Hi_°C = |Jan_REC_Lo_°C =
|Feb_Lo_°F = 50.9 |Feb_Lo_°C =10.5 |Feb_REC_Hi_°C = |Feb_REC_Lo_°C =
|Mar_Lo_°F = 54.2 |Mar_Lo_°C =12.3 |Mar_REC_Hi_°C = |Mar_REC_Lo_°C =
|Apr_Lo_°F = 59.4 |Apr_Lo_°C =15.2 |Apr_REC_Hi_°C = |Apr_REC_Lo_°C =
|May_Lo_°F = 63.3 |May_Lo_°C =17.4 |May_REC_Hi_°C = |May_REC_Lo_°C =
|Jun_Lo_°F = 71.2 |Jun_Lo_°C =21.8 |Jun_REC_Hi_°C = |Jun_REC_Lo_°C =
|Jul_Lo_°F = 75.7 |Jul_Lo_°C =24.3 |Jul_REC_Hi_°C = |Jul_REC_Lo_°C =
|Aug_Lo_°F = 78.1 |Aug_Lo_°C =25.6 |Aug_REC_Hi_°C = |Aug_REC_Lo_°C =
|Sep_Lo_°F = 73.2 |Sep_Lo_°C =22.9 |Sep_REC_Hi_°C = |Sep_REC_Lo_°C =
|Oct_Lo_°F = |Oct_Lo_°C =NA |Oct_REC_Hi_°C = |Oct_REC_Lo_°C =
|Nov_Lo_°F = 59.5 |Nov_Lo_°C =15.3 |Nov_REC_Hi_°C = |Nov_REC_Lo_°C =
|Dec_Lo_°F = 54.9 |Dec_Lo_°C =12.7 |Dec_REC_Hi_°C = |Dec_REC_Lo_°C =
|Year_Lo_°C =
|Year_Lo_°F =
|Jan_Precip_inch = 6.9
|Feb_Precip_inch = 4.3
|Mar_Precip_inch = 1.6
|Apr_Precip_inch = 1.0
|May_Precip_inch = 0.2
|Jun_Precip_inch = 0
|Jul_Precip_inch = 0
|Aug_Precip_inch = 0
|Sep_Precip_inch = 0.1
|Oct_Precip_inch = 1.0
|Nov_Precip_inch = 3.7
|Dec_Precip_inch = 7.3
|Year_Precip_inch =
<!--****If the source reports in metric units, use the unit reported by the source--mm or cm ****-->
|Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = 175
|Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = 109
|Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = 41
|Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = 25
|May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = 5
|Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = 0
|Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = 0
|Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = 0
|Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = 3
|Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = 25
|Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = 94
|Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = 185
|Year_Precip_mm = 524.0
|source =Temperature - [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st01_03x.pdf |format=PDF| title=Monthly Average of Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st01_04.pdf |format=PDF| title=Precipitation |publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref>
|accessdate =
<!--For a second source-->
|source2 = Precipitation - ''[[BBC News]]''<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002430 | title=Average Conditions - Haifa, Israel | publisher=''BBC News'' | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref>
|accessdate2 =
}}</center>
==Neighborhoods==
[[Image:Bet Hecht.JPG|thumb|A restored Templer building]]
[[Image:Haifa Pano02.jpg|thumb|Bat Galim neighborhood in Lower Haifa]]
[[Image:Migdal hevrat hashmal.jpg|thumb|The IEC Tower, Haifa's tallest building]]
{{list|Neighborhoods of Haifa}}
Haifa has developed in tiers, from the lower to the upper city on the Carmel. The oldest neighborhood is [[Wadi Salib]], the Old City center near the port, which has been bisected by a major road and razed in part to make way for government buildings. Wadi Salib stretches across to [[Wadi Nisnas]], the center of Arab life in Haifa today. In the 19th century, under Ottoman rule, the [[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony]] was built, providing the first model of urban planning in Haifa. Some of the buildings have been restored and the colony turned into a center of Haifa nightlife.<ref name="tiers" />
The first buildings in [[Hadar]] were constructed at the start of the 20th century. Hadar was Haifa's cultural center and marketplace throughout the 1920s and into the 1980s, nestled above and around the Haifa's Arab neighborhoods. Today Hadar stretches from the port area near the bay, approximately halfway up Mount Carmel, around the German Colony, Wadi Nisnas and Wadi Salib.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html | title=Haifa | publisher=Jewish Virtual Library | accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref> Hadar houses two commercial centers (one in the port area, and one midway up the mountain) surrounded by some of the city's older neighborhoods.
Above Hadar, [[Neve Sha'anan (Haifa)|Neve Sha'anan]], a neighborhood located on the ''second tier'' of Mount Carmel, is home to a largely [[Orthodox Judaism|observant Jewish]] population as well as a sizeable Russian immigrant population. Founded in the 1920s, almost all single-story houses here have been replaced with newer 4-story apartment buildings built starting in the 1950s.
Below, on the edges of Haifa from the port, westward, are the predominantly Jewish neighborhoods of Bat Galim, Shikmona Beach, and Kiryat Eliezer, and the Arab neighborhoods of Abbas and Khalisa, built in the 1960s and 70s.<ref name="go">{{citeweb | url=http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Cities/Haifa.htm | title=Haifa | publisher=Israel Government Tourism Ministry | accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref>
Above Hadar and Neve Sha'anan, on the third tier at the top of Mount Carmel, is the newest neighborhood of Haifa, the affluent, predominantly Jewish neighborhood of [[French Carmel|Carmel Tzarfati]] (French Carmel), built in the 1970s through the 90s. Whilst there are general divisions between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods, there is an increasing trend for wealthy Arabs to move into affluent Jewish neighborhoods such as Carmel.<ref name="demo" /> At the edges of the neighborhood of Carmel is [[Kababir]], home of Israel’s only [[Ahmadi]] Muslim community;<ref name="go" /> Kababir tops Mount Carmel, overlooking Haifa's stretch of beach.
===Development plans===
Recently, residential construction has been concentrated around Kiryat Hayyim and Kiryat Shmuel, with 75,000 sq m. of new residential construction between 2002-2004, the Carmel, with 70,000 sq m, and Ramot Neve Sha'anan with approximately 70,000 sq m.<ref name="building">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Building/Y2004/Download/BuildingDL.pdf | title=Building | publisher=Haifa Municipality | work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook | accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> Non-residential construction was highest in the Lower Town, (90,000 sq m), Haifa Bay (72,000 sq m)) and Ramot Neve Sha'anan (54,000 sq m).<ref name="building" /> In 2004, 80% of construction in the city was private.<ref name="building" />
In [[Wadi Salib]] today, the original interiors of the Palace of the Pasha, a [[Hammam|Turkish bathhouse]], and a Middle Eastern music and dance club have been largely gutted and are now in use as dance clubs, theaters, and offices.<ref name=Johal/> The Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd.<ref>[http://www.hec.co.il/english.asp?id=1 Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd: About]</ref> is implementing plans to develop two 1,000 square meter lots for office and commercial use which will include Turkish and Arab "construction elements," and service a new government center planned for downtown Haifa.<ref>[http://www.hec.co.il/english.asp?id=21 Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd: Wadi Salib]</ref> Another government center built in the same area in the early 1990s failed to boost the economy as expected. The current project is controversial due to the eviction of families from the neighborhood, and the planned demolition of more historic buildings, including the former home of Palestinian intellectual [[Emil Touma]].<ref name=Johal/>
==Economy==
[[Image:Haifa Refinery by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|The towers at Haifa Refinery]]
[[Image:Microsoft Haifa.jpg|thumb|Microsoft R&D facilities in Haifa]]
The phrase "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" refers to Haifa's reputation as a city of workers.<ref>{{cite news | title=Tel Aviv: "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/middleeast/israel/721623/Tel-Aviv-%22Haifa-works,-Jerusalem-prays,-and-Tel-Aviv-plays%22.html | accessdate=2008-03-23 | work=Daily Telegraph}}</ref> The industrial region of Haifa is north of the city, near the [[Kishon River]]. Haifa is home to one of the two [[oil refineries]] in Israel (the other located in [[Ashdod]]). The Haifa refinery produces 9 million tons (66 million barrels) of [[crude oil]] a year.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/israel/haifa.htm | title=Haifa | publisher=GlobalSecurity.org | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> Its twin 80-meter high cooling towers, built in the 1930s, were the tallest buildings built in the British Mandate period.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=haifaoilrefinerycoolingtowers-haifa-israel | title=Haifa Oil Refinery Cooling Towers | accessdate=2008-02-17 | publisher=Emporis.com}}</ref> Each year, the refinery processes 66 million barrels of crude oil.<ref name="foundation">{{citeweb | url=http://www.haifa-foundation.org/haifa_today.htm | title=Haifa Today | accessdate=2008-03-21 | publisher=Haifa Foundation}}</ref>
''Matam'' (short for ''Merkaz Ta'asiyot Mada'' - Scientific Industries Center), the largest and oldest [[business park]] in Israel, is at the southern entrance to the city, hosting manufacturing and [[research and development|R&D]] facilities for a large number of Israeli and international hi-tech companies, such as [[Intel]], [[IBM Haifa Labs|IBM]], [[Microsoft]], [[Motorola]], [[Google]], [[Elbit]], [[Zoran Corporation|Zoran]], [[Philips]], and [[Amdocs]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.american.edu/carmel/ab5293a/Casestudy/Israel/israel.htm | title=Israel | publisher=American.edu | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> The campus of the [[University of Haifa]] is also home to [[IBM Haifa Labs]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.haifa.il.ibm.com | title=IBM Haifa Labs | accessdate=2008-01-27 | publisher=IBM Haifa Labs}}</ref>
The [[Port of Haifa]] is the leader in passenger traffic among [[Israeli]] ports, and is also a major cargo [[harbor]], although deregulation has seen its dominance challenged by the [[port of Ashdod]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.haifaport.org.il/ | title=Haifa Port | accessdate=2008-01-27 | publisher=Haifa Port}}</ref>
Haifa has many malls and shopping centers, among them Hutsot Hamifratz, Horev Center Mall, Panorama Center, Castra Center, Colony Center (Lev HaMoshava), Hanevi'im Tower Mall, Kenyon Haifa, Lev Hamifratz Mall and Grand Kenyon.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.category.php/30 | title=Haifa Shopping Centers | accessdate=2008-02-19 | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref>
===Tourism===
In 2005, Haifa had 13 hotels with a total of 1,462 rooms.<ref name="tourism">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Tourism/Y2005/Download/Tourism2005.pdf | format=PDF|title=Hotels and Tourism | work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook | publisher=Haifa Municipality | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> The city has {{convert|17|km|mi|0}} of beaches, {{convert|5|km|mi|0}}.<ref name="leisure">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/LeisureActivity/Y2004/Download/LeisureActivityDL.pdf |format=PDF| title=Leisure Activity | work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook | publisher=Haifa Municipality | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> Haifa's main tourist attraction is the [[Bahá'í World Centre]], with the golden [[Shrine of the Báb]] and the surrounding gardens. Between 2005 and 2006, 86,037 visited the shrine.<ref name="tourism" /> The restored [[German Colony]], founded by the [[Templers (religious believers)|Templers]], [[Stella Maris Monastery|Stella Maris]] and Elijah's Cave also draw many tourists.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c14/118/p2 | title=Tours of Haifa | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>
[[Image:Terraces.jpg|thumb|left|Shrine of the Bab and terraces on Mount Carmel]]
Located in the Haifa district are the [[Ein Hod]] artists' colony, where over 90 artists and craftsmen have studios and exhibitions,<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.ddtravel-acc.com/haifa.htm | title=Eih Hod | accessdate=2008-01-20 | publisher=ddtrave-acc.com}}</ref> and the [[Mount Carmel]] national park, with caves where [[Neanderthal]] and early [[Homo Sapiens]] remains were found.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=852573 | title=Mount Carmel National Park | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>
A 2007 report commissioned by the Haifa Municipality calls for the construction of more hotels, a ferry line between Haifa, [[Acre, Israel|Acre]] and [[Caesarea]], development of the western anchorage of the port as a recreation and entertainment area, and an expansion of the local airport and port to accommodate international travel and cruise ships.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/864746.html | title=Making Haifa into an international tourist destination | date=2007-05-30 | accessdate=2008-03-10 | publisher=Haaretz}}</ref>
==Arts and culture==
[[Image:Tikotim Museum of Japanese Art, Haifa, Israel - Facade, Daytime, -1.jpg|The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art|thumb]]
[[Image:The National Museum of Science, Technology and Space (Haifa, Israel) - Facade.jpg|thumb|National Museum of Science, Technology and Space in Haifa]]
Despite its image as a port and industrial city, Haifa is the cultural hub of northern Israel. During the 1950s, mayor [[Abba Hushi]] made a special effort to encourage authors and poets to move to the city, and founded the [[Haifa Theatre]], a repertory theater, the first municipal theater founded in the country.<ref name="culture">{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng//modules/article/view.category.php/19 | title=Culture & Leisure | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> The principal Arabic theater servicing the northern Arab population is the [[al-Midan Theater]]. Other theaters in the city include the Krieger Centre for the Performing Arts and the Rappaport Art and Culture Center.<ref name="culture" /> The Congress Center hosts exhibitions, concerts and special events.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c19/148 | title=The Congress Center | publisher=Haifa Municipality | accessdate=2008-04-02}}</ref>
The New Haifa Symphony Orchestra, established in 1950, has more than 5,000 subscribers. In 2004, 49,000 people attended its concerts.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.haifasymphony.co.il/eabout.asp | title=Haifa Symphony | accessdate=2008-01-20 | publisher=Haifa Symphony}}</ref><ref name="leisure" /> The Haifa Cinematheque, founded in 1975, hosts the annual [[Haifa International Film Festival]] during the intermediate days of the [[Sukkot]] holiday. Haifa has 29 movie theaters.<ref name="leisure" /> The city publishes a local newspaper, [[Yediot Haifa]],<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.abyznewslinks.com/israe.htm | title=Israel Newspapers | accessdate=2008-01-27 | publisher=Abyznewslinks.com}}</ref> and has its own radio station, [[Radio Haifa]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/Israel/Radio.asp | title=Radio Broadcasting Stations | accessdate=2008-01-26 | publisher=Radiostationworld.com}}</ref>
===Museums===
Haifa has over a dozen museums.<ref name="museums">{{citeweb | url=http://www.get2israel.com/Destinations/haifa.aspx | title=Haifa Museums | publisher=Get2Israel.com | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref><ref name="leisure" /> The most popular museum is the [[Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space]], which recorded almost 150,000 visitors in 2004. The museum is located in the historic Technion building in the Hadar neighborhood.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=6 | title=Museum of Science, Technology, and Space | publisher=IlMuseums.com | accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref> The [[Haifa Museum|Haifa Museum of Art]] houses a collection of modern and classical art, as well as displays on the history of Haifa.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=3 | title=Haifa Museum of Art | publisher=IlMuseums.com | accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref> The [[Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art]] is the only museum in the [[Middle East]] dedicated solely to Japanese art.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=5 | title=Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art | publisher=IlMuseums.com | accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref> Other museums in Haifa include the Museum of Prehistory, the National Maritime Museum and Haifa City Museum, the Hecht Museum, the Dagon Archeological Museum, the [[Israel Railway Museum|Railway Museum]], the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum, the Israeli Oil Industry Museum, and Chagall Artists' House.<ref name="leisure" /> As part of his campaign to bring culture to Haifa, Mayor Abba Hushi provided the artist [[Mane-Katz]] with a building on Mount Carmel to house his collection of [[Judaica]], which is now a museum.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c21/123 | title=The Mane Katz Museum | accessdate=2008-01-25 | publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref>
==Sports==
[[Image:Qiryat Eliezer Stadium.jpg|thumb|Kiryat Eliezer stadium, Haifa]]
Haifa has eight [[football (soccer)]] clubs, two of which, [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]], [[Hapoel Haifa FC|Hapoel Haifa]] are in the major leagues in Israel. Other clubs include Beitar Haifa, Akhva Haifa, Hapoel Spartak Haifa, Sportek Haifa, Bnei Kababir and [[Neve Sha'anan|Hapoel Neve Sha'anan]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://club-soccer.com/Continents/europe/israel.htm | title=Israeli soccer clubs | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref> Maccabi Haifa has won 10 [[Ligat ha'Al|championships]], 5 [[Israel State Cup|cups]] and 3 [[Toto Cup|League cups]].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/israchamp.html | title=List of Champions | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/isratotocuphist.html | title=List of Toto Cups | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref><ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_WORLDFOOTBALL/idUKL166523120070516 | title=State Cup Winners | accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref> Both Hapoel and Maccabi Haifa operate football schools in Haifa suburbs and other villages (including Arab villages) in northern Israel.
In 1996, the city hosted the [[Windsurfing|World Windsurfing Championship]].<ref name="foundation" /> The [[Haifa Tennis Club]], near the southwest entrance to the city, is one of the largest in Israel.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.ic-tennis.org/gb/userpages/UserPage279.htm | title=Israel | publisher=ic-tennis.org | accessdate-2008-02-19}}</ref>
The main stadiums in Haifa are the 14,000-seat [[Kiryat Eliezer Stadium]] and [[Thomas D'Alesandro Stadium]]. In addition, the Romema Basketball Arena seats 3,000 and the Neve Sha'anan Athletic Stadium seats 1,000. A [[UEFA]]-approved stadium to seat 30,000 is planned for south-west Haifa, due to be completed in 2009.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/past_future/future_stadiums.shtml | title=Future Stadiums | publisher=World Stadiums | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref>
==Government==
[[Image:Haifa Courts.jpg|thumb|The Courts Hall of Haifa]]
As an industrial port city, Haifa has traditionally been a [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labor party]] stronghold. The strong presence of dock workers and trade unions earned it the nickname 'Red Haifa.' In addition, many prominent Arabs in the Israeli Communist Party, among them [[Tawfik Toubi]], [[Emile Habibi]], Zahi Karkabi, [[Bulus Farah]] and [[Emile Toma]], were all from Haifa. In recent years, there has been a drift toward the center.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/12/13haifa | title=Haifa through the looking glass | accessdate=2008-01-23 | date=2005-12-13 | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-20132871.html | title='Red Haifa' in revolt against Labor | accessdate=2008-01-23 | publisher=Highbeam Research - Originally from [[Jerusalem Post]] | date=1999-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.islamicpluralism.org/articles/2006a/mysteriessafed.htm | title= "The Mysteries of Safed, The Banners of Haifa," | date=2006-07-26 | author=Stephen Schwartz | accessdate=2008-01-23 | publisher=Islampluralism.org}}</ref> This was best signified by, in [[Israel legislative election, 2006|the 2006 legislative elections]], the [[Kadima]] party receiving about 28.9% of the votes in Haifa, and Labor lagging behind with 16.9%.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html | title=Haifa 2006 election results | work=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] | accessdate=2008-01-23 | language=Hebrew}}</ref>
Before 1948, Haifa's Municipality was fairly unique as it developed cooperation between the mixed Arab and Jewish community in the city, with representatives of both groups involved in the city's management. Under mayor al-Haj, between 1920 and 1927, the city council had six Arab and two Jewish representatives, with the city run as a mixed municipality with overall Arab control. The city changed towards more of a mixed society under mayor [[Hasan Bey Shukri]]'s second term (1927–40) in which cooperation between Jews and Arabs in the running of the city was encouraged. Whilst the two groups were treated differently in terms of needs, with Arabs coming before Jews, greater coexistence was fostered. The major change in the leadership of the city occurred in 1940, when the first Jewish mayor of the city, [[Shabtai Levy]], was elected. Instantly, the Jews in the city were no longer treated behind the Arabs. Levy's two deputies were Arab (one Muslim, the other Christian), with the remainder of the council made up of four Jews and six Arabs.<ref name="govt">{{citebook | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kUOK3a6hAMsC&pg=PA129&dq=haifa+municipality&ei=UB_kR6CANoT6yASckfHsAQ&sig=6AINvWOy8UqpmUgcJ6Cru51veG8#PPA133,M1 | title=Mixed Towns, Trapped Communities: Historical Narratives, Spatial Dynamics | last=Daniel Monterescu | first=Dan Rabinowitz | pages=113-132 | publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.}}</ref>
Today, Haifa is governed by its 12th city council, headed by the mayor [[Yona Yahav]]. The results of municipal elections decide on the makeup of the council, similarly to the [[Knesset]] elections. The city council is the legislative council in the city, and has the authority to pass auxiliary laws.<ref name="council main">{{Cite web|url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/|title=City Council Overview|language=Hebrew|publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> The 12th council, which was elected in 2003, has 31 members, with the liberal [[Shinui]]-[[The Greens (Israel)|Greens]] ticket holding the most seats (6), and [[Likud]] coming second with 5.<ref name="council members">{{Cite web|url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/members.htm|title=Members of the 12th City Council|language=Hebrew|publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> Many of the decisions passed by the city council are results of recommendation made by the various municipal committees, which are committees where non-municipal organs meet with representatives from the city council. Some committees are spontaneous, but some are mandatory, such as the security committee, tender committee and financial committee.<ref name="council committees">{{Cite web|url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/vaadot.htm|title=Municipal Committees|language=Hebrew|publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref>
====Mayors of Haifa====
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|-
|width=45%|
* [[Najib Effendi al-Yasin]] (1873–77)
* [[Ahmad Effendi Jalabi]] (1878–81)
* [[Mustafa Bey al-Salih]] (1881–84)
* [[Mustafa Pasha al-Khalil]] (1885–1903)
* [[Jamil Sadiq]] (1904–10)
* [[Rif'at al-Salah]] (1910–11)
* [[Ibrahim al-Khalil]] (1911–13)
* [[Abd al-Rahman al-Haj]] (1920–27)
* [[Hasan Bey Shukri]] (1914–20, 1927–40)
|width=45%|
* [[Shabtai Levy]] (1940–51)
* [[Abba Hushi]] (1951–1969)
* [[Moshe Flimann]] (1969–1973)
* [[Yosef Almogi]] (1974–1975)
* [[Yeruham Zeisel]] (1975–1978)
* [[Arie Gur'el]] (1978–1993)
* [[Amram Mitzna]] (1993–2003)
* [[Giora Fisher]] (interim mayor, 2003)
* [[Yona Yahav]] (2003–)
|}
==Medical facilities==
[[Image:Rambam Health Care Campus.jpg|thumb|The Rambam Medical Center, Haifa]]
Haifa medical facilities have a total of 4,000 hospital beds. The largest hospital is the government-operated Rambam Medical Center with 900 beds and 78,000 admissions in 2004. Bnai Zion Hospital and Carmel Hospital each have 400 beds. Other hospitals in the city include the Italian Hospital, Elisha Hospital (100 beds), Horev Medical Center (36 beds) and Ramat Marpe (18 beds).<ref name="medical" /> Haifa has 20 family health centers.<ref name="medical">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Health/Y2005/Download/Health%20ServicesDL.pdf | title=Health Services | publisher=Haifa Municipality | work=Statistical Yearbook 2006 | accessdate=2008-03-21}}Data as of 2004</ref> In 2004, there were a total of 177,478 hospital admissions.<ref name="medical" />
Rambam Medical Center was in the direct line of fire during the [[Second Lebanon War]] in 2006 and was forced to take special precautions to protect its patients.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5197326.stm | title=Haifa hospital in the firing line | first=Raffi | last=Berg | work=BBC News | date=2006-07-20 | accessdate-2008-02-18}}</ref> Whole wings of the hospital were moved to large underground shelters.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3287614,00.html | title=Haifa hospital goes underground | work=Ynetnews | accessdate=2008-02-18 | date=2006-08-07 | first=Ahiya | last=Raved}}</ref>
==Education==
[[Image:Technion sidewalk by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|The [[Technion]] is called "Israel's [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]"]]
[[Image:Haifa U Rabin Building.jpg|thumb|The Rabin Building at Haifa University]]
Haifa is home to two internationally acclaimed universities and several colleges. The [[University of Haifa]], founded in 1963, is at the top of Mt. Carmel. The campus was designed by the architect of [[Brasilia]] and [[United Nations Headquarters]] in [[New York]], [[Oscar Niemeyer]]. The top floor of the 30-story Eshkol Tower provides a panoramic view of northern Israel. The [[Hecht Museum]], with important archeology and art collections, is on the campus of Haifa University. The [[Technion - Israel Institute of Technology]], described as Israel's [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], was founded in 1924. It has 18 faculties and 42 research institutes. The original building now houses Haifa's science museum. The first technological high school in Israel, Basmat, was established in Haifa in 1933.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/894017.html | title=The closing of a dream come true | accessdate=2008-01-25 | work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref>
Other academic institutions in Haifa are the [[Gordon College of Education]] and Sha'anan Religious Teachers' College, the [[Women's International Zionist Organization|WIZO Design Academy]] and Tiltan College of Design. The Michlala Leminhal College of Management and the [[Open University of Israel]] have branches in Haifa. The city also has a nursing college and the P.E.T Practical Engineering School.<ref name="edu" />
As of 2006–07, Haifa had 70 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 28 academic high schools and 8 vocational high schools. There were 5,133 pupils in municipal kindergartens, 20,081 in elementary schools, 7,911 in middle schools, 8,072 in academic high schools, 2,646 in vocational high schools, and 2,068 in comprehensive district high schools. 86% of the students attended Hebrew-speaking schools and 14% attended Arab schools. 5% were in special education.<ref name="edu">{{citeweb | url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Education/Y2007/Download/EducationDL.pdf |format=PDF| title=Education | accessdate=2008-02-14 | date=2007-06-01 | publisher=Haifa Municipality | work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook 2007}}</ref> In 2004, Haifa had 16 municipal libraries stocking 367,323 books.<ref name="leisure" />
==Transportation==
[[Image:Haifa-09-Carmelit.jpg|thumb|The Carmelit, Israel's only subway]]
[[Image:Port of Haifa, viewed from the sea.jpg|thumb|The Port of Haifa]]
Transportation is good both within Haifa and between Haifa and other cities in Israel and internationally. Buses run throughout the city, and Haifa is the home to Israel's only [[subway (rail)|subway]] system. The [[Carmelit]] ({{lang-he|כרמלית}}) is actually a [[funicular]], running from downtown Paris Square to Gan HaEm (Mother's Park) on [[Mount Carmel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c10/159|title=The Carmelit|accessdate=2008-02-19|publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il}}</ref> With a single track, six stations and two trains, it is listed in the [[Guinness World Records]] as the world's shortest metro line. Furthermore, the Stella Maris [[gondola lift]] cable car, consists of six cabins and connects Bat Galim on the coast to the Stella Maris observation deck and monastery atop Mount Carmel; although mainly for tourism purposes.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/~bazlov/israel/haifa.html | title=Haifa | publisher=[[Weizmann Institute]] | accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> Proposals have also been made for a [[light rail]] between Haifa and [[Nazareth]] although it is unclear if these will ever materialise.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://port2port.co.il/Index.asp?ArticleID=59237&CategoryID=46 | title=Mofaz:Light rail from Haifa to Nazareth | accessdate=2008-03-10 | date=2006-11-02 | publisher=Port2Port}}</ref>
Haifa is the only city in Israel where buses operate on [[Shabbat]].<ref name="frommers">{{citeweb | url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/3709010002.html | title=Haifa: Planning a Trip | accessdate=2008-02-22 | publisher=[[Frommers]]}}</ref> The bus stations, from the south northwards, are [[Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station|Hof HaCarmel]], [[Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station|Bat Galim]], and [[HaMifratz Central Bus Station|Merkazit HaMifratz]]. All these stations are served by [[Egged Bus Cooperative|Egged]] city, suburban, and intercity buses. In 2006, Haifa implemented a trial network of neighborhood mini-buses – named "Shchunatit" run by [[Egged]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885952889&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull|title=Egged to start minibus project in Haifa|work=[[Jerusalem Post]]|date=2006-06-09|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> In 2008, Haifa and the Krayot will be linked by the [[Metronit]], a [[Phileas (public transport)|Phileas concept]] [[bus rapid transit]] system.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yefenof.co.il/pages/lighTrain.php|title=Metronit|publisher=Yefenof.co.il | accessdate=2008-02-22 | language=Hebrew}}</ref>
Haifa has six [[Israel Railways]] [[station]]s on the [[Nahariya]]-[[Tel Aviv]] main line railway that runs along the [[Gulf of Haifa]]. From south to north, these stations are [[Haifa Hof HaCarmel Railway Station|Haifa Hof HaCarmel]], [[Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station|Haifa Bat Galim]], [[Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station|Haifa Merkaz (Central)]], [[Lev HaMifratz Railway Station|Lev HaMifratz]], [[Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station|Hutzot HaMifratz]], and [[Kiryat Haim Railway Station|Kiryat Haim]]. A [[Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station|seventh stop]] is in the northern suburb [[Kiryat Motzkin]]. The railway stations also serve a metropolitan line with seven stops, called the Parvarit.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.israrail.org.il/english/travel/map.html | title=Railway Map | publisher=Israel Railways | accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref>
Travel between Haifa and the rest of the country is also possible by road with [[Highway 2 (Israel)|Highway 2]], the main highway along the coastal plain, beginning at Tel Aviv and ending at Haifa.<ref name="frommers" /> Furthermore, [[Highway 4 (Israel)|Highway 4]] runs along the coast to the north of Haifa, as well as south, inland from Highway 2.<ref name="frommers" /> In the past, traffic travelling along Highway 2 to the north of Haifa would have to pass through the downtown area of the city, however, the [[Carmel Tunnels]], currently under construction will re-route this traffic through tunnels under Mount Carmel, cutting down on congestion in the down-town area of the city.<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://ppp.mof.gov.il/Mof/PPP/MofPPPTopNavEnglish/MofPPPProjectsEnglish/PPPProjectsListEng/TashtiotTaburaEng/Carmeltunnels/ | title=Carmel Tunnels | publisher=Israel MOF | accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> [[Haifa Airport]] serves domestic flights to Tel Aviv and [[Eilat]] as well as international charters to [[Cyprus]].<ref>{{Citeweb | url=http://www.farecompare.com/flights/Haifa-HFA/city.html | title=Haifa Destinations | accessdate=2008-02-22 | publisher=Farecompare.com}}</ref> There are currently plans to expand services from Haifa. Cruise ships previously operated from [[port of Haifa|Haifa port]] to Greece and Cyrpus.<ref name="frommers" />
In the future, Haifa is planned to be connected to [[Beit She'an]] and [[Amman]] in [[Jordan]] by the reconstructed [[Jezreel Valley railway]], with a possible extension to [[Nazareth]].<ref name="mot733">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mot.gov.il/Public/Dover/Dover1064.pdf|title=Sheetrit Ordered to Check the Option of Connection Migdal HaEmek and Nazareth to the Valley Railway|author=Ovadia, Avner|date=2005-11-30|accessdate=2008-02-23|publisher=[[Transportation Minister of Israel|Israeli Ministry of Transportation]]}}</ref>
==Sister cities==
Haifa has sister city agreements with the following cities:<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/en-US/city/CitySecretary_ForeignAffairs/EngActs.htm | title=Twin City acitivities | publisher=Haifa Municipality | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>
{|style="width:80%"
|-
|width=45%|
*{{flagicon|France}} [[Marseille]], [[France]] ([[1962]])
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Portsmouth]], [[United Kingdom]] ([[1962]])
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] ([[1968]])
*{{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Manila]], [[Philippines]] ([[1971]])
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]], [[United States]] ([[1973]])
*{{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Aalborg]], [[Denmark]] ([[1973]])
*{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]] ([[1975]])
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]], [[Germany]] ([[1978]])
*{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Antwerp]], [[Belgium]] ([[1986]])
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Mainz]], [[Germany]] ([[1987]])
|width=45%|
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Düsseldorf]], [[Germany]] ([[1988]])
*{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Rosario, Santa Fe|Rosario]], [[Argentina]] ([[1988]])
*{{flagicon|Ukraine}}[[Odessa]], [[Ukraine]] ([[1992]])
*{{flagicon|China}} [[Shanghai]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] ([[1994]])
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]] ([[1999]])
*{{flagicon|Cyprus}} [[Limassol]], [[Cyprus]] ([[2000]])
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], [[Florida]], [[United States]] ([[2002]])
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Erfurt]], [[Germany]] ([[2005]])
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Mannheim]], [[Germany]] ([[2005]])
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], [[United Kingdom]]
|}
==See also==
*[[List of famous people from Haifa]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book | first=Alex | last=Carmel | year=2002 | title=The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule | edition=4th Edition | publisher=Pardes | location=Haifa | id=ISBN 965-7171-05-9 }} (in Hebrew)
*{{cite book | year=1985 | title=Haifa and its sites | author=Shiller, Eli & Ben-Artzi, Yossi | publisher=Ariel | location=Jerusalem}} (in Hebrew)
*Benny Morris, ''Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem''
*Seth J. Frantzman ''The Strength of Weakness: The Arab Christians in Mandatory Palestine,'' unpublished M.A. thesis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
===City and universities===
*[http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/en-US Haifa Municipality]
*[http://www.haifa.ac.il/ University of Haifa]
*[http://www.technion.ac.il/ Technion – Israel Institute of Technology]
===Bahá'í===
*[http://www.bahai.org Bahá'í World Centre, Haifa]
*[http://www.bahaipictures.com Photos of the Bahá'í Gardens in Haifa]
*[http://galleries.fototagger.com/link.php?action=detail&id=347 More photos of the Bahá'í Gardens]
*[http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/505319785IBUBFK Photos – The Baha'i Gardens in Haifa: the Shrine of the Bab Terraces & Gardens]
===Monastery===
*[http://www.labeauteducarmel.net Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Haifa, Israel]
===Travel===
*[http://www.urbanrail.net/as/hai/haifa-citymap.jpg The Carmelit subway] and map of Haifa
*[http://wikitravel.org/en/Haifa Wikitravel: Haifa]
*[http://www.haifacity.com/eng Haifa city – the complete guide to haifa]
*[http://www.ianandwendy.com/Israel/Haifa/slideshow.htm Photo gallery of tourist sites of Haifa]
{{Haifa District}}
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